Welcome to another instalment in our weekly news digest where the team at PSU Towers picks our favourite slices of gaming gossip from the past seven days, before proceeding to offer our two cents on each story for good measure.
See below for the past week’s top stories.
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Sucker Punch would give ‘serious thought’ to inFamous 3
No one can accuse the PlayStation 3 of lacking in key triple-A exclusive support. Alongside the likes of Uncharted, LittleBigPlanet and Killzone, Sucker Punch’s electricity-charged inFamous series remains one of the platform’s hottest commodities, and looks set to deliver the goods for a second time when protagonist Cole MacGrath returns in 2011. Still, let’s not kid ourselves here – why would we want to stop there? The more MacGrath, the merrier as far as we’re concerned. And the fact Sucker Punch has already flirted over the prospect of churning out a third instalment has certainly wet our appetites. After all, if the PS3 is going to stick around for ten years, we’d like to see some of its biggest franchises accompany it along the way – and inFamous certainly ranks as one of our favourites. Fingers crossed this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Cole and co.
F1 2010 storms UK Charts, topples Halo: Reach
You’d be forgiven for thinking we just arbitrarily plucked a story based on the latest UK Charts for something to gossip about while we drink our well-deserved morning mug of Earl Grey. However, this isn’t the case at all. While do we enjoy a good cuppa here at PSU Towers, we picked this story for a very good reason – how many times do you wake up and find out that a Formula One title has just dethroned Bungie behemoth Halo from the top of the charts after just one week? We rest our case. Indeed, Halo: Reach may be the developer’s swansong as far as the long running sci-fi shooter series goes, but that hasn’t stopped punters from coming out in their droves to support Codemasters frankly brilliant racing romp. Even we’ll admit to being surprised though, as Halo is typically a title you’d find dominating the software landscape for at least a fortnight. With an 80 percent dip in sales and some stiff competition though, this appears no longer to be the case. A well-deserved pat on the back for Codemasters – that’s a mighty impressive achieved there, boys.
Rumor: PSP2 development kits sent out to key studios
The topic of a successor to Sony’s slab has remained a frequent talking point among industry folk and gamers alike for a good year or so now. Predictably, just when it seems Sony is poised to formally announce a PSP2 – whether it be at E3, GamesCom or TGS – we hear absolutely zip on the matter. However, in recent weeks things have kicked up a gear, first with Mortal Kombat developer Netherrealm Studios claiming that it’s got its grubby mitts on a PSP2 dev kit, and now with news that Sony has begun distributing kits to an assortment of key studios around the globe. With the original PSP having been out for over five years now, it would seem the time is decidedly ripe for a follow-up to be unveiled. Of course, Sony’s sticking to its usual ‘no comment’ routine as far as the existence of a PSP2 is concerned, but it’s blatently obvious it’s only a matter of time before the device is announced – especially in light of Nintendo pinning a February 26 release date on its 3DS console. Sony will definitely want to pull out all the stops if it’s to compete with this swanky new platform, and we’re confident that PSP2 will deliver the goods. However, they better lift the lid on it soon in order to generate sufficient hype and draw some of the attention away from Nintendo’s new handheld. Nonetheless, we’re stoked to see what the hardware manufacturer has up its sleeves.
SEGA dates Sonic the Hedgehog 4
When SEGA announced earlier this year that it had pushed back Sonic 4’s release to a post-summer launch, we were understandably gutted. After all, not only is that period notoriously dull on the games front, but more pertinently, we were simply itching to get our hands on what is promising to be the best Sonic outing in an entire decade. That’s a long time to wait. Fortunately, it seems the extra development time has paid off, as the Japanese giant confirmed this week that Sonic 4 will be released this month (October). To say we’re giddy with anticipation is a gross understatement, as we’ve been prying for a return to form for the spiky anthropomorphic Hedgehog since the days of Sonic & Knuckles – way back in 1994. Don’t get us wrong, Sonic Adventure and its sequel proved competent 3D outings for Sonic and co, but ultimately SEGA’s blue mascot failed to make the transition to the third dimension with the same impact as Nintendo’s plucky plumber Mario. In our hearts, we always felt Sonic was destined to remain in the 2D landscape, and from what we’ve seen thus far, Sonic 4 will cement that belief. And the best part? This is just Episode 1.
Sony spills the beans on Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Game of the Year Edition
Eh? You say Sony is releasing an Uncharted 2 Game of the Year Edition? What’s that? You get not only the full game but a heap of juicy downloadable content too? The ideal investment for new adopters? Wait..new adopters? You mean there’s folk out there who have yet to experience Nathan Drake’s critically acclaimed treasure hunting romp? Get away! Ok, well, hopefully you get the point. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is unequivocally one of the PS3’s greatest achievements to date, and you’d quite frankly be insane not to snap up this $49.99 USD bundle of delights. Releasing almost a year to the day since the original version, we couldn’t think of a more worthwhile investment. There really is no contest – if you haven’t played the game yet, save those pennies and buy this puppy when it hits retail shelves on October 13. And while you’re at it, pick up the original too.
Street Fighter x Tekken in less than two years, says Ono
Even at such an early stage in development, Capcom’s Street Fighter x Tekken is already shaping up to be one of the best looking crossover fighters ever conceived, and going by its reaction at Comic-Con earlier this year, we’re not the only ones to share this sentiment. As you can imagine, we were understandably bummed to hear Yoshinori Ono remark that the game wouldn’t be out for a good two years or so. Talk about a double-edged sword. Fortunately, it now seems that Ono’s original comments on the game’s release didn’t sit too well with Capcom dev boss Keiji Inafune, who apparently pulled the SFIV to one side and gave him a verbal arse kicking. Now Ono-san has retracted his previous statement and is aiming to have the game out in less than two years. Ok, so this could be a couple of months difference at best, but the sooner we get to give Kazuya Mishima a thorough pasting as Ryu, the better.
Beyond Good & Evil hitting PSN, XBL next year
We’re secretly hoping this is merely a precursor to the long-delayed and much anticipated sequel, but regardless, a HD revamp of cult classic Beyond Good & Evil is about as good as it gets these days. Those of you who missed out on this PlayStation 2 gem a few years ago will now be able to experience first hand why so many gamers have been clamouring for a follow-up after all this time, which can only be a good thing in our book – the more the merrier. The brainchild of Michel Ancel, Beyond Good & Evil combines stealth-based adventure antics with a healthy dose of puzzle solving and a thoroughly compelling narrative, all of which were horrendously unappreciated upon its holiday 2003 release due to over-saturated market conditions. Subsequently, the game was lumbered with the reputation of being a commercial failure despite receiving much praise from critics, so we’re hoping a digital re-release will attract a wider audience. Keep an eye out for this one folks, it’ll be worth it.
Medal of Honor pre-orders set franchise record
It may be perceived as a poor man’s Modern Warfare amongst pessimistic FPS fanatics, but that hasn’t stopped EA’s Medal of Honor reboot from racking up the most pre-orders of any title in the franchise’s decade long history. Call us old fashioned, but we’d rather judge the game when we play it rather than write it off before the poor thing even has a chance to ship to store shelves. From the look of things, the game has all the makings of a modern day shooter classic, and the folks at PSU Towers are hoping for big things – after all, Medal of Honor arrived on the scene long before Call of Duty was so much as a twinkle in Infinity Ward’s eyes. Regardless of your affiliation with the brand, it’s an iconic series in the PlayStation’s history and proved beyond any doubt that shooters could make a successful transition to home consoles in a largely PC-dominated landscape. Things may have changed a lot since the late 90s, but we feel the series still has enough breathing room to remain relevant in today’s saturated market conditions. Here’s hoping those pre-orders haven’t been in vein.
OPM poll crowns Uncharted 2 as greatest PlayStation title ever
While we tend to avoid polls of all shapes and sizes when it comes to the games industry (let’s face it, it’s all apple and oranges as they say), we felt this one deserved special attention given the fact the chaps at OPM decided to run it in conjunction with the prestigious occasion that is the PlayStation’s 15th UK anniversary. Congratulations, faithful grey box of tricks – we have many happy memories. However, as we alluded to in the news article itself, we can’t help but feel a rush of disbelief at the amount of iconic titles left out of the list, including but not limited to the likes of Tekken 3, Silent Hill 2, Tomb Raider and Resident Evil 2. In fact, we’re even surprised Crash Bandicoot or Oddworld also failed to make the cut. Credit where it’s due though, and it’s brilliant to see Metal Gear Solid recognised with a whopping three entries in the top ten, alongside the spectacular Shadow of the Colossus from Team ICO. A hearty pat on the back to the folks at Naughty Dog too, with Uncharted 2: Among Thieves nabbing the top spot. Nonetheless, we feel the original PlayStation deserved more of a look in – not enough 32-bit love for us.